Spring Litter
by Cindy England
Summary: Spring floods bring a new season, new activities and new life to the tribe.


Title: Spring Litter  
Author: Cindy England  
Disclaimers: Dreamberry and Rushwater Holt are the property of Cindy England. Birchbark is the property of Erica van Nieuwkoop. ElfQuest is copyright Warp Graphics Inc.. 

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"I don't know, Birchbark." Violet eyes squinted beneath furrowing eyebrows as the howl keeper regarded the midwife-turned-basket weaver's latest attempt. A thin muscled arm snaked its way upward to scratch behind her head in unsure thought before continuing on. "It doesn't really look like one of Shadowglen's baskets; unless you turn it like so and squint really hard - then it does sort of look like my old dreamberry basket after Prancer shredded and napped on it." Bemusement tugged at the corners of her lips and she bit back a giggle for fear of discouraging self-proclaimed apprentice. 

"I know," Birchbark sighed, staring forlornly at the jumble of twigs crudely woven together. "But at least this time it's staying together." As if on cue, a single twig sprang lose of its holdings, then quivered before its maker as if it taunted and laughed at her in spite or warning. 

"Hmm," Birchbark growled back. "Who would have thought making baskets would be so hard?" 

Now Dreamberry did chance a giggle in response. "Perhaps that's why no one decided to take up the craft after Shadowglen died." 

"Hrmph. Well, I'm not giving up that easily," Birchbark proclaimed, eyeing her twig basket with new challenge. "I just need to practice more. Maybe I started too hard. I think I'll try something easier than twigs, something soft and pliable that will mould to my will more easily." 

"Mould to your will? Why not just ask Dawnmist or Firemoss to shape you one of twigs then?" Dreamberry asked curiously. "Either one of them would be happy to and it would save on time and cut fingers." 

"You're missing the point, Dreamberry," Birchbark sighed again in exasperation. "I want to do this - myself. And I know I can, I just need to practice more. Come on, come help me collect reeds from the river." 

The howl keeper's gaze drifted back to the misshaped basket as her friend started off at a brisk walk towards the river. She was quite sure she knew the point, and was mildly worried one of them might land on her den stoop as a gift she'd be hard pressed to get rid of. Well, perhaps she could hide it under some of Rock's unused wood chunks. It couldn't possibly become more mangled from such use. Giggling at the thought, Dreamberry shouted to wait up before jogging after Birchbark's retreating form. 

***

"Ugh," Dreamberry grunted, pulling her head away and making a face as yet another fistful of cut reeds was shoved onto her outstretched arms, already overflowing with soggy reeds. "How many more do you possibly need?" she complained. 

"You've seen my work, Dreamberry - a lot," Birchbark replied with a rueful smile, then paused and glared critically at the bundle of new basket material before her. "I suppose that will do for now," she finally concluded. 

"Hrmph. Try leaving some standing, why don't you," the howl keeper muttered from behind the pile, now threatening to obscure her vision. "Come on, take some of these, will you?" 

Grinning, Birchbark sheathed her hand dagger and stepped forward to take her share of the reeds before Dreamberry toppled from their length. The howl keeper sighed in relief, looping her left arm around the much smaller bundle and hitching it up under her arm for better walking. 

"You know," Dreamberry remarked thoughtfully as the pair began their way back to the holt, "if you let these dry out before working with them, they're bound to become brittle and snap. Maybe if you kept them moist they would be easier to work with." She twisted a length about her finger to demonstrate. 

"I think you're right," Birchbark nodded in agreement, fingering a reed herself. "Colorcast has a large wooden bowl for dying I could -" 

A low muffled grunt stopped the midwife in mid sentence and stride alike, her free hand shooting out to grab at Dreamberry's wrist. Ears perked, the howl keeper shifted her gaze to her companion, then back around the thin path they followed and the rocky underbrush surrounding them. 

Soft shuffling and the scratching of claw or hoof on rock broke the silence, followed by another series of grunts. Birchbark's heart began to bubble into her throat, her old fear of bristleboar resurfacing, making the shadows seem to come alive with threat and the sudden realization she was without her trusted bow. Releasing her biting grip upon the other elf's wrist, she slide her hand to her waist and slowly drew her dagger, noting Dreamberry did likewise. 

The scratching, which came from the side of the path, seemed to pause for a heartbeat or two. Not taking her eyes from the source of the grunts, Dreamberry lowered - painfully slowly - the bundle of reeds to her feet. Fingers brushing against warm canyon rock, she inched silently forward. Tapered fingers carefully pulled back the greenery enough to peer violet eyes wide to danger beyond, and spy a rocky outcropping housing a small den cave. Figuring it best to leave whatever creature had taken up residency therein alone, Dreamberry slowly let the leaves fall back into place, but a familiar scent wafted by, tingling her nose. 

_**It's Mooncrier,**_ Dreamberry sent to Birchbark, suddenly excited. _**She must be having her cubs!**_

Birchbark's brow furrowed, looking around them while calmly sheathing her blade. _**All the way out here, away from the wolf caves?**_

Dreamberry shrugged, eagerly moving forward towards the cave. _**She's been known to before. Don't know why.**_

Dropping to all fours, the howl keeper poked her head into the darkness, sending to her wolf-friend, asking for permission to enter. A rough throated grunt was all the response she received but it was enough, and soon Dreamberry was scuttling forward into the birthing den. 

Fingers itching, Birchbark set down her own pile of wet reeds and made to follow Dreamberry. Births were few and far between among the elves and her skills as a midwife seldom used, although the tribe had experienced a flood of new cubs within the last two hands of turns. It was this lack of opportunity to practice her midwifery that had prompted her decision to learn basket weaving, as a means to keep herself busy and useful to the tribe when her other skills were not in need. 

Crawling into the darkness herself, Birchbark wiggled her way into the larger room beyond the narrow passageway and knelt beside Dreamberry. _**How is she?**_

The howl keeper brushed a hand along the thick pelt of her wolf-friend's groaning belly. _**She's huge!**_ she responded. _**I hadn't realized just how big she'd become this time. I wonder how she made it in here.**_

The midwife grinned toothily back, a soft chuckle escaping her. She too reached a hand out towards Mooncrier's heaving belly, then began to poke and prod with her fingers, counting. _**It's a good sized litter, alright. About four cubs, I reckon.**_

Mooncrier huffed and grunted again at Birchbark's prodding. Dreamberry moved closer to her wolf-friend's head, gently brushing the rough fur that stuck up around her eyes and scratching behind her ears, whispering soft words. The she-wolf calmed, blinking golden eyes closed between puffing breaths. 

Birchbark leaned over, checking under the bitch's tail. _**She's been at it for a while now. Shouldn't be long before her cubs start to drop,**_ she said matter-of-factly. 

_**We sit and wait then,**_ Dreamberry replied. Birchbark nodded in agreement. 

Shuffling around the labouring wolf, Dreamberry slowly made her way around the small den room until she could cross her legs beneath herself and slipped them under Mooncrier's head. Her fingers burrowed deep into her wolf-friend's neck ruff, finding those tender places that liked to be scratched, and she lay her head down upon the she-wolf's broad temples. The howl keeper in her brought forth images to share with the pack mother, and she added whispers to the images - of frolicking cubs, rolling in sweet smelling grasses and the thrill of a fast paced hunt. 

Birchbark smiled tenderly at the scene in the darkness. Lifting a hind leg, she skilfully set about massaging the she-wolf's swollen belly, encouraging the birthing muscles to contract faster. The wolf grunted under the pressure, a sneezing fit catching her unawares. Then her breathing increased rapidly, her tail stiffening and arched backwards and away from her body. 

_**She's started,**_ Birchbark breathed in a mind whisper to Dreamberry, who had unknowingly started to hold her own breath. 

The midwife shifted, placing herself directly behind the she-wolf's hind quarters, and watched in careful precision and anticipation as the first tiny head began to slip forth. Cupping delicate hands, she reached out and caught the newborn, gently lowering it to the den floor, the rest of its birthing sack following more slowly. 

_**One out,**_ she grinned, setting the wet and weak cub beside its mother for warmth. Dreamberry squealed and hugged Mooncrier, who groaned loudly in protest, and worked to prepare for the next cub's exit. 

Birchbark returned to massaging the she-wolf's loins, and soon Mooncrier was bracing herself for the second birthing. Birchbark readied herself again, but frowned in the darkness, as not a tiny cub head emerged but a thin and kicking hind leg. 

"Hmm," the midwife mused out loud. 

"Mmm?" Dreamberry replied absent-mindedly, continuing to brush Mooncrier's fur. 

_**This one's going to have a time of it - it's coming out backwards,**_ Birchbark grimaced. 

"Oh," Dreamberry bit her lip, looking down at the she-wolf, now labouring more forcefully in her lap. She looked to her companion. _**Will she need help?**_

_**I think so.**_ Birchbark squinted but despite the bitch's valiant attempts, the cub was clearly stuck. 

_**I'm going to have to pull it out,**_ Birchbark finally stated. _**I think it best if you hold Mooncrier down, as she may not like what we're going to do, and struggle or worse. We don't want her injuring herself or the cubs.**_

Dreamberry nodded solemnly. She paused from the constant petting she had been giving Mooncrier and quickly unbuckled her thick leather belt, pulling it out from around her waist. Threading the end back within the buckle, she slipped the loop over the wolf's muzzle, softly pulling it taunt before wrapping the length firmly around her hand. The she-wolf grunted and shook her head but otherwise lay quiet. Then Dreamberry shuffled to her knees and leaning over the labouring wolf, put her weight down to hold her still. Turning, she nodded her readiness to the midwife. 

Breathing deeply, Birchbark turned to the task at hand. The tiny hind leg was kicking less frantically now, growing weaker, she had to act quickly lest it perish before it was born. Placing one hand firmly upon Mooncrier's rump, she pressed the other against the struggling cub and slid her hand palm up into the birth canal. 

Mooncrier grunted fiercely again, and kicked her legs, hitting Birchbark resoundly in the hip. Throwing her weight down again upon the struggling wolf, Dreamberry held tight to the belt halter and grabbed at flailing legs as best she could with her free hand. 

Gritting her teeth, Birchbark ignored the kicking legs and racking claws at her thigh, concentrating on pulling the stuck cub to safety. Fingers feeling blindly within, she felt the thick belly of the cub, grasping it before the strangely angled hips and gently eased it out towards her. With a 'pop' and a 'whoosh', it suddenly tumbled free. Then the birthing sack followed, quicker this time, with another cub within. 

_**Twins!**_ Birchbark exclaimed when she saw the two pups rolling together, their life cords still attached to the single gooey membrane. _**No wonder she was so big!**_

"Ha ha!" Dreamberry giggled merrily, now hugging her wolf-friend fiercely once again. "I knew there was still spirit in you, girl!" 

The three cubs wallowed around, finally nestling into Mooncrier's soft belly fur, seeking out a teat on which to nurse from. They were soon joined by two more litter mates, both of which came easily into the world. Birchbark smiled proudly at a beaming Dreamberry, both women watching Mooncrier stir from her laying position to sniff and lick at each new pup in turn. A contented wheeze huffing through the she-wolf's muzzle. 

_**Looks like we'll have quite the choice of bonds for the cublings and those without a wolf-friend now,**_ Dreamberry remarked. _**Too bad we can't see what they look like better.**_

Birchbark nodded, then looked at her blood stained hands. _**Let's go wash up. The backwards one should be fine; it's holding its own for a nipple so should make up quickly for its weakness now.**_

Clapping her friend on the back, the howl keeper grinned. "You say that like pulling wolf cubs into the world is an every day occurrence. Now just how is basket weaving going to compare to this?" 


End file.
